Can R’ville challenge HoVal’s grip on division?

A year ago Hopewell Valley had one of its strongest wrestling teams yet, but never really got a chance to prove it because of the cancellation of most non-league matches, the Mercer County Tournament, sectionals and districts.

A division champion in 13 out of the last 14 years and the MCT in 12 out of the last 13 times the event was held, Hopewell will again remain among the elite in the Colonial Valley Conference.

This year, however, it appears Hopewell Valley is going to have a real fight on its hands from Robbinsville in the race for the CVC Valley Division title as well as the MCT.

Robbinsville has returned more starters than Hopewell and although it’s early it appears to match up pretty well against the Bulldogs. As such, Robbinsville rates as at least a co-favorite.

ALLENTOWN

Coach: Marc Cuniglio.

Last year: (1-7).

106-Charles Case (Fr.)

106/ 113-Chase Mrozicki (Jr.), Degan Semanchick (Fr.), Connor Urig (Fr.) 113/ 120-Gavin Lourenco (So.)

126/ 132-Christian Amyz (Fr.), Owen Dzikowski (Fr.), Vincent Grassullo (Jr.), Syrenna Hannah (Sr.), Mason Marcantonio (Fr.), River Meir (Jr.), Aiden Schwartz (Fr.), Michael Petersen (So.)

132/ 138-Donovan Fraser (Jr.), Joseph Sirjoo (Jr.), Nicholas Gaul (Fr.)

138/ 144-Monroe Schloss (So.)

144/ 150-Kassidy Mazza (Fr.)

150/ 157-Peter Marucci (Fr.), Angel Garcia (Sr.) 175/ 190-Jack McDonough (Jr.), Blaisse Motler (Jr.), Ajay Shukla (Jr.) 215-Hvy-Justin Barrato (So).

Strengths: Grassullo, Schloss and Jack McDonough head up the returning wrestlers, while Case, Urig, Motler and Gaul are among the promising newcomers. Outlook: Last season was a major rebuilding year for the Redbirds and the good news is the team has received a much needed injection of freshmen and sophomore wrestlers. Look for Allentown to begin working its way back towards being one of the better teams in the conference.

EWING

Coach: Darren Basich.

Last year: (1-9).

106-Angel Gonzalez (So.) 113-Conner Lane (Fr.), Samantha Dupre (Fr) 138-Jimmy Chianese (So.) 145-Miera Hayes (Sr.), Caleb Riordan (So.) 157-Ian Brito (So.)

165-Gavin Dwyer (So.), Randon Ramsey (So.) 175-Owen Weigle (Sr.) 190-Denzel George (Jr.), Kenneth Waugh (Sr.) 215-Collin Elam (So)

Hvy-Liam Clendenin (So.), Charles Rogers (Sr.), Elijah Duncan (Sr.)

Strengths: The team returns some proven wrestlers, including Gonzales (7-2), Weigle (7-1), George and Waugh. The Blue Devils also appear to have a more complete lineup.

Outlook: Basich has returned as the head coach following a very successful first stint at the head of the program. This will take some time, but look for the team to be on the upswing.

HAMILTON

Coach: Matt Minder.

Last year: (5-7)

106-Isaac Canastuj-Diaz (So.) 113-Luke Bruch (Fr.)

120-Jaden Stimon (Jr.)

126-Jacob Lozada (Jr.)

132-Elijah Salguero (So.) 138-Angelo Migliaccio (Sr.) 144-Andy Figueroa (Sr.) 150-Justin Espinoza (Jr.) 157-Elson Peralta (Sr.)

165-Erick Figueroa (Sr.) 175-Dontae Bryan (Jr.)

190-Collin Mackersie (So.) 215-Guy LaBranche (Jr.) 285-Hugo Guadron (Jr.)

Strengths: Andy Figueroa and Bryan (7-5) head up a lineup that has a sizable amount of varsity experience. The team has a nice mix of underclassmen and seniors. Outlook: It’s been a slow process, but the Hornets have been making progress. Look for this trend to continue with a full lineup and a host of wrestlers anxious to make their mark.

HOPEWELL VALLEY

Coach: Mario Harpel.

Last year: (16-0)

106/ 113—Luke Caldwell (Fr.), Dean Meissner, (Fr.)

120—Kyle Doherty (Sr.), Rex Peters (So.) 126—Allen Lopez (Sr.), Ryan Melton (Sr.) 132—Michael Kennedy (So.) 138—Michael Meissner (Jr.) 144—Tyler Hersh (Sr.), Kiril Petrosian (Sr.) 150—Tim McKeown (Jr.)

157—Ben Thompson (Sr.), Isaac Maldonado (Jr.)

165—Alejandro Lopez (Sr.), Landon Schafer (Jr.)

175—Chase Overman (So.), Dominick Chila (Sr.)

190-Sam Ronollo (Sr.), Eli Miller (Sr.) 215—Gabriel Leung-Kahler (Jr.), Jon Trainor (Fr.), Dan Sullivan (Jr.)

Strengths: Although the team was hit hard by graduation, there are some reliable returnees. These include the Lopez brothers, Doherty, McKeown and Ronollo. As always at Hopewell, many of the newcomers are quality wrestlers who have had to wait their turn to crack the lineup. By all reports, the program also has a strong freshman class.

Outlook: Hopewell Valley can again win division and MCT titles as well as qualify for sectionals, but unlike many seasons it’s far from an almost sure thing. It’s all about how fast some of the new wrestlers develop and getting the job done against Robbinsville.

LAWRENCE

Coach: Chris Lynne. Last year: (7-5) 106-Ryan Edwards (So) 113-Ryan Sataralla (Sr.) 120-Josh Merindino (Jr.) 126-Patrick Maloney (Jr.) 132-Rommel Mendez (Jr.)

138-Kyle Thompson (Fr.) 145-Zander Wysinskie (Fr.)

150-Om Patel (Sr.)

157-Omar Rady (Jr.)

165-Tom DeMarco (Sr.) 175-Owen Drake (Sr.)

190-Matt Melchior (Jr.) 215-Mohammed Abdelhatty (Jr.) Hvy-Pedro Maldonao (Jr.)

Strengths: The Cardinals are solid in the upperweights with the return of DeMarco (6-1), Drake (5-4), Melchior (5-5), Abdelhatty (4-2) and Maldonado. Two years ago, Maloney was 13-16 and Mendez was 22-12. Patel is a three-year starter.

Outlook: Lawrence will remain among the better teams in the conference and another winning season will result. It’s all about how it matches up against the rest of the CVC’s top teams.

NOTTINGHAM

Coach: Jason Marasco.

Last year: (6-4)

106-Amber Carabajo-Arnez (Jr.) 113-Sean Hunt (Fr.)

120/ 126-Curtis Selmon (Sr.), Aiden Babkowski (Jr.)

132-Dennis Palencia (Sr.) 138-Lucas Selmon (So.) 144-Jacob Vanderhorn (Jr.) 150-Ryan Johnson (So.), Matt Barbosa (Fr.), Kayla Sanchez (Jr.)

157/ 165-Will Chrystler (Jr.) 175-Rose Dervail (Sr.) 190-Dorian Henry (Sr.) 215-Sofian Rashid (Sr.), Bradley Toro (Sr.) Hvy-Brandon Shipley (Sr.), Larry Cortez (Sr.) Strengths: Look for the Swamprats to remain very competitive from the middle on up with a bunch of senior upperweights. Henry is coming off a 9-1 season after winning 20 bouts two years ago. Toro was 8-2 and is a pinner. Selmon (7-3) and Vanderhorn are among those who also have varsity experience. Outlook: Although it’s very doubtful Nottingham can beat either Robbinsville or Hopewell, it certainly seems capable of rolling with anyone else in the conference.

ROBBINSVILLE

Coach: Sean Flynn.

Last year: (10-1)

106-Brody Kaplan (Fr.), Blaise Grippa (So.). 113-Anthony Viscido (So.). 120-Giacomo Bottoni (So.) 126-David Kanner (Jr.), Aiden Weil (Sr.) 132-Dylan Cifrodelli (Jr.)

138-Mike Manieri (Sr.)

144-Cole Cifrodelli (Jr.)

150/ 157-Nolan O’Grady (Jr.), Alex Messinger (Fr.), Jakob Radtke (Jr.) 165-John Bartzak (Jr.)

175-Nick Migliaccio (Sr.)

190/ 215-Richard Esterly (So.), Thomas Jennings (Sr.)

Hvy-Kevin Siminske (Jr.), Dominic Cataldo (Fr.) Strengths: No team in the CVC can hang with Robbinsville in the first seven or so weights. Viscido was 11-0 as a freshman. Also returning down below are Bottoni (92), Kanner (10-6) and Weil. The Cifrodelli brothers, Dylan (9-3) and Cole, as well as Manieri (18 wins as a sophomore) anchor a strong middle. Things might finally be looking up in the upperweights as well with Bartzak (7-2), Migliaccio (8-3), Esterly (7-3) all coming off winning seasons. Outlook: Earning a sectional berth should not be a problem at all. It would come as no surprise if the Ravens ended Hopewell’s string of league and MCT titles.